Vertical filing device.



'EL K. SUMBRWELL. VERTICAL FILING DEVICE.,- APPLIOATION FILED HOV. 12,3'1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1' E. K. SUMERWELL.

VERTICAL FILING DEVICE.

APPLICATION rILnnNow/f. 12, 1907.

906,750. Patented Dec. 15,19084 2 sums-SHEET z.

177 $7 .l i i ozn/ey. 5

1HE NaRRIs PETERS co.. wAsmNcraN, D. c.

EDWARD K. SUMERW'ELL, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

VERTICAL FILING DEVICE.

Specification of LetteraPatent.

Application filed November 12, 1907.

Patented Dee. 15, 190s.

Serial No. 401,860.

- ing the folders and their contents and placed in the cabinet or receptacle at intervals of twenty or thirty folders. In my filing system I use the same arrangement of receptacle, folder and guides, but I differ from and improve upon' the present system inthe .for-m and construction -of the folders and guides which .I use.

The object of my invention is to produce a filing system in which any folder may be readily and speedilv located in the file and easily removed from same without disturbing the contents of the folder. As a part of this system I provide a folder wherein the contents are securely lheld in place, but in such a manner that they may readily be examined or removed.

In the operation of a vertical filing system the papers to be filed are placed inthe folder which is then placed in the receptacle or cabinet. The folders are then separated in groups and classified either alphabetically, numerically, geographically, or according to subjects, by the use of guides provided with index tabs, which are distributed at various ositions along the top edge of said guides.

t has been found desirable to sub-classify the folders themselves, the folders ordinarily in use are made with the rear cover slightly higher than the front so that the name, number, subject or other reference marking of the contents may be written thereon. To locate the contents of any particular folder in such a system, the eye of the operator must travel the entire length and width of all of the guides in the receptacle to find the index tab of the proper group of folders, and then he must examine each of the folders to Ilocate the one for which the operator is searching. In my system this o eration is greatly simplified as I arrange a of the index or reference marks, vboth on the guides and on the folders, along a single straight line extending from the front to the rearl of the rece tacle so that the eye need only follow aong the line to locate the proper folder. Furthermore, as I construct my folder with the front cover higher than the rear one, the mani ulationof fingers necessary in removing e folder is simplified.

My filing device is Aillustrated in the accomp anying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle or drawer containing the folders and guides embodying my invention and illustrating the arrangement of the same in use; Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the guides; Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a form of my folder Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the folder shown in Fig. `3 and Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a modified form of my folder. Fig. 6 is la detailed view, partly in section, showingthe binder in operation.

The for-mand oo nstruction'of the receptacle is immaterial to my invention and is -presented in the drawing merely vto indicate the drawer of a vfiling rcabinet such as would ordinarily be vused with my filing system.

In Fig. l I have yshown the receptacle (l) containing the guides (2) and the folders (3), and illustrating the straight line arrangement of the index and reference Amarks upon the folders and guides, the classiiicationor index mark (4) on the latter being adjacent to and to the yright of 'the corresponding classification `or index mark (5) onthe former.'

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 I have represented two forms of my folders each of which has the lace or tape (6) constituting a'binder for the papers to be inserted in the folder and fastened to the folder near the bottom fold (7). The position, relative to the sides of the folder, at which the lace or tape is fastened ,to the yfolder will depend upon the class of paper to be inserted in the folder. In practice for the purpose of binding letters and other short papers in the folder -so that they may be easily examined, it is desirable to locate and fasten the lace o1' tape binder near the left edge of the folder, as shown in Fig. 5, while for legal documents and other long papers a more symmetrical arrangement of the ace or tape binder lis desired, as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The lace or-tape (6) vprovided with the end `piece (8) maybe fastened `to the folder by being drawn through the perforations (9) in the gusset (10) at the bottom of the folder, as shown in Figs. 3-4, or `it may be fastened to one cover of the folder by means of some binding material (11) as shown in Fig. 5 or in any other suitable manner. The lace or tape is preferably made of a soft, pliable material that is woven so as to allow it to readily spread around the perforation in the papers placed upon it.y

The folders are made with the front face or cover (12) slightly larger than the rear face or cover (13), and a section of the front cover is cut away along the oblique line (14) so that when the covers are folded one upon the other, a portion (5) of the rear cover will be exposed to view. Upon the exposed portion of the rear cover of the folder are placed the classification or index marks of the contents of said folders.

The guide (2) shown in F ig. 2 and forming a part of my filing device is cut from a sheet of pasteboar'd or other suitable material, and has two corners of one side thereof cut away along the obliquely extending lines (l5-16). The edge (15) is cut in such a manner that when the folders and guides are placed in position in the receptacle, the upper left hand corner (4) of the guide, upon which place the classification or index marks, will be immediately adjacent to the exposed portion (5) of the rear cover of the folder.

In filing letters and documents of unequal size, it is found that the bottom and left end of folder have an extended bulk by reason of the engraved or embossed letter heads, or by reason of the fasteners used to secure the papers. To equalize this increased thickness and so that the combined folder and guide will occupy less room in the receptacle, I have cut away the lower corner of the guide along the oblique line (16) as shown in the drawing.

The manner in which my filing device operates is as follows: The papers (16) to be led are perforated at points corresponding to the ends (8) of lace or tape (6) in the folder. rlhe perforations (17) are made relatively smaller in diameter than the width of the lace or tape which constitutes the binder. The ends of the binder are then inserted through the perforations in the paper and the latter is securely held in place in the folder by the spreading of the lace or tape around the perforation and friction produced through the contact of the lace or tape with the paper surrounding the perforation. The folder is then inserted in the ling cabinet or receptacle with the higher or larger cover towards the front, and finally a guide is placed in position in the cabinet or receptacle.

`What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a filing device, a folder having the front cover projecting beyond the rear cover. and having a corner portion of the front cover removed on a line extending obliquely to the edge of such cover to expose a corner of the coef/5o and having the bottom made in a series of longitudinal folds so as to be expansible, and said folder being provided with a lace or tape' binder drawn through eyelets in the folds whereby the folder may be expanded and contracted, and papers fastened and held between the covers thereof by the spreading of the said lace or tape around perforations formed in the papers to be filed within-the folder, substantially as described.

2. 'In a filing device a folder provided with a pliable lace or tape binder made of a loosely woven fabric and adapted to fasten and hold papers between the covers thereof Vby the spreading of said lace or tape around perforations formed in the papers, said perforations having a diameter relatively smaller than the width of the lace or tape binder, substantially as described.

3. 1n a filing device a receptacle, a series of folders each having the front cover projecting beyond the rear cover, and having a corner portion of the front cover removed on a line extending obliquely to the edge of such cover, to expose a corner of the rear cover which bears an index character, in combination with a series of guides of a length to project above the front cover of the folder, each guide having a corner removed to expose the index characters on the folders, said guides being substantially of a width equal to the width of the receptacle and having a portion adjacent to one of the lower corners removed to compensate for the increased thickness of the headings or other portions of the papers filed in the folders.

4. In a filing device a receptacle, a series of folders, each having the front cover projecting beyond the rear cover, and having a corner portion of the front cover removed on a line extending obliquely to the edge of such cover, to expose a corner of the rear cover which bears an index character, and said folders being provided with means whereby papers may be fastened between the covers thereof, in combination with a series of guides of a length to project above the front covers of the folders, each having a corner removed to expose the index characters on the folders, said guides being substantially of a width equal to the width of the receptacle and having a portion adjacent to one of the lower corners removed to compensate for the increased thickness of the headings or other portions of the papers filed in the folders.

5. 1n a ling device a receptacle, a series of folders, each having the front cover projecting beyond the rear cover, and having a corner portion of the front cover removed on a line extending obliquely to the edge of such cover, to expose a corner of the rear cover which bears an index character, and each of said folders being provided with a lace or tape binder adapted to fasten and hold papers belio 65 rear cover which bears an index character, 1 tween the covers thereof by the spreading of 130 said lace or tape around perorations formed in the papers, 1n combination with a series of guides of a length to project above the front covers of the folders, each guide having a corner removed to expose the index characters on the folders, said guides being substantially of a Width equal to the Width of the receptacle and having a portion adjacent to one of the lower corners removed to compensate for the increased thickness of the headings or 10 other portions of the papers filed in the folders. 

